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LISD preparing for changes to graduation requirements per House Bill 5

Changes will be implemented next fall in full swing

Changes to graduation requirements coming in the 2014-15 school year was a hot topic of discussion at the Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting Thursday.

House Bill 5, passed by the state Legislature in 2013, will replace the 4 by 4 plan — which requires high school students to take four years of each core subject — with the foundation, endorsement and distinguished diploma tracks. The goal of the bill is to allow more flexibility for students planning to bypass college to head straight into the workforce.

Jill Berset, career technical education director for LISD, said it’s something her department has wanted for a long time.

“I always say you go to school 13 years, you ought to be able to do something when you get out — not just go to college,” Berset said. “I think we’re able to offer so much more to so many of our students with House Bill 5. We’re really looking forward to pursuing this.”

Debbie Ratcliffe of the Texas Education Agency said the new graduation requirements will allow students to specialize in certain areas of study, almost like a college major.

The credit requirement for graduation will change from 26 to 22 under the new program, Ratcliffe said, but students will be able to acquire endorsements and gain more credits toward their diploma by taking elective classes in a specific field. The endorsement areas are business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, multidisciplinary studies and STEM — science, technology, engineering and math.

Electives for the endorsement track are to be taken in a coherent sequence of courses. The goal is for students to develop a specific skill.

The endorsement track builds on the foundation, and likewise, the distinguished builds on it. Students who graduate with the distinguished designation will be eligible for the top 10 percent admission distinction — a provision that Texas students in the top 10 percent of their school will be automatically admitted into a public university, regardless of their SAT scores. The distinguished diploma requires algebra II.

Next year’s freshmen class will begin its high school career on the new program. Sophomores and juniors will be able to opt in as well provided they get parental consent.

“I think it’s going to make parents and kids a consumer of their education,” said Doyle Vogler, associate superintendent of secondary education. “They’re going to be smarter about what they’re choosing.”

If a student is not ready for college by his senior year, the new program requires him to enroll in a college readiness class which will reinforce English and math skills needed to pursue higher education.

LISD will also offer a career class to ninth graders which will let them know where the jobs are and what certifications are needed should they choose to pursue a certain career path early on.

Preparing students for the future is what high school is about, Berset said.

But as the implementation of the new program approaches, questions still loom. According to LISD Superintendent Berhl Robertson, the algebra II requirement for the STEM endorsement is still up in the air.

“House Bill 5 did not require algebra II for any of the endorsements,” Robertson said. “The legislative intent was to not require it and give local flexibility.”

The State Board of Education is setting the rules now, and Robertson said they have included an algebra II requirement for the STEM track.

Robertson said the district is in favor of local flexibility, but the high schools are planning to continue offering the course regardless.

The SBOE is taking public comments on the matter and will make a final decision at the board meeting Jan. 28-31.

HB 5 also decreased the amount of end of course exams required for high school students on the STAAR test — from 15 to five, Ratcliffe said. This portion of the bill went into effect during the summer of 2013.